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STUDIO: Warner Home Video
MSRP: $35.99
RATED: Not rated
RUNNING TIME: 481 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Unaired Laundry deleted scenes
Adventures in Blunders outtakes
The Pitch
What Seinfeld curse?
The Humans
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Clark Gregg, Hamish Linklater, Wanda Sykes, Emily Rutherford, Alex Kapp Horner, Tricia O’Kelley, Trevor Gagnon.
The Nutshell
Christine Campbell (Louis-Dreyfus) is a divorced mother who owns a gym and constantly struggles to try to keep pace with everyone and everything around her. This includes her ex-husband, Richard (Gregg) and his new girlfriend, also named Christine (Rutherford), hence the nickname of Old Christine for Campbell. Add in an inferiority complex that Christine feels against the “meanie moms” (Horner, O’Kelley) at her son Richie’s school and you have the makings for a sitcom.
The Lowdown
I’m glad that Julia Louis-Dreyfus had found success again after Seinfeld. I’ve always thought, since even back in her SNL days, that she was a talented comedienne. With Elaine Benes, she created one of them most memorable female characters in TV history. It’s pretty easy to say that she’ll never top that (hell, none of the Seinfeld crew will probably). Nevertheless, Louis-Dreyfus does have some comedic skill and it’s good that she found The New Adventures Of Old Christine. I’m also amazed that she’s holding it together as well as she is. Heading into her late forties, Louis-Dreyfus is still quite the MILF. That has nothing to do with her skill of course, but it rated being mentioned.
As for her new show, which she found after her first Seinfeld excursion, Watching Ellie, failed in 2003 after only two abbreviated seasons, it’s a fairly boilerplate sitcom, although it does have some smarter than average writing at times. Louis-Dreyfus is playing a character even more neurotic than Elaine, although without the benefit of her mean streak and pettiness. Christine in Season 2 deals with her leftover feelings for ex-husband, Richard and what she really wants in a relationship. She continues to feel inferior to the meanie moms and has issues with her brother, who’s living with her, as well. Christine movies from almost reconciling with her ex to dating her son’s 4th grade teacher, Mr. Harris (Blair Underwood).
Various episodes include ‘The Passion of the Christine,” where she and Richard almost reconcile after their son is under the impression that they already have. “Oh God Yes” has Christine dealing with Richie going to church with Richard and New Christine without telling her, and “Sleepless in Mar Vista” has Christine discovering that her sleep medication is making her embarrass herself without her knowledge. “My Big Fat Sober Wedding” has Christine being the designated driver to a wedding when she really needs some alcohol. Louis-Dreyfus does carry the show, although she shares a good chemistry with co-star Clark Gregg. Wanda Sykes also add several laughs.
The New Adventures of Old Christine isn’t nearly as loathsome as many other sitcoms and is actually quite watchable.
The Package
The episodes are widescreen and look pretty good, with available English and Portuguese Dolby 5.1. There are also English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese subtitles. There are unaired scenes on all four discs and a nine-minute gag reel.